Southern Children: PREMIER RETAILER Q&A

This week we had the true pleasure of sitting down with Southern Children boutique owner, Susan Broom, to ask her about the cutest boutique in Columbia, South Carolina and discover her secrets to 22 years of business. She gives us memorable moments, funny children’s comments and the low-down on her 22 year anniversary event this Sunday, February 20th – go visit the store! Read more to find out about this very special children’s store.

1. What was the inspiration behind the name Southern Children?Susan: In selecting a name for my store, I considered the type of clothing I wanted to carry, and sought a name that would represent my interest in that preferred style and niche. I wanted the name to evoke the feeling of traditional, classical, timeless and conservative styling for children. I sat down one evening with a notebook and pen, and I brainstormed twenty possible names for my store. Southern Children was my seventh name on my list. I made this name up myself, and I was so proud of it. I liked its sound and the warm feeling of traditional style it evoked.

2. Describe the neighborhood where your store is located. Tell us about Columbia, South Carolina. What made you pick this location?Susan: Southern Children is located in the northeast section of Columbia, South Carolina. At one time, Columbia Northeast was ranked as one of the top 10 fastest growing communities in the United States. Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina and is centrally located within the state. I have lived in Columbia Northeast throughout my married life of nearly 32 years. I selected the site for my store because it was a new shopping center that had opened in the area, and it was a very attractive strip center with its building, grounds and landscaping. There was very little new retail development in our area at the time, 22 years ago. The closest children’s boutique in the area at that time was 15 to 20 minutes away from our strip center. I can make the drive to my store from my home in typically seven minutes, unless there is heavy traffic, which is so convenient for me.

3. It’s about that time to start packing up some of the old winter items and cleaning out the closet for spring clothes for your little one. What are 3 spring must-have items that are in your store?
Susan: Three spring must-have items that are in my store are something from Le Top’s “Sunny Ducky” collection, a cute pair of sandals, and a matching hairbow from either Wee Ones or Bibbity Bobbity Bows. For boys, something from Le Top’s “Sunny Ducky” collection, a pair of blue and white seersucker (or solid white) pants or shorts from either Bailey Boys or E-Land American Classic, and a pair of white shoes or two-tone saddle oxford shoes would be spring must-have items from our store.

4. There are plenty of blooper funny moments being around children and mom’s all day in your store – tell us something funny a child has said that made you giggle.Susan: One episode in particular stands out in my memory that was funny to me. I had a very young and articulate little girl in the store. She was quite expressive and interactive. I was enjoying listening to her talk and found that she was exceptionally intelligent for her young age. I said to her, after being quite amazed at her vocabulary and statements, “You are SO SMART!” With that being said, she balled up her little fists by her side, stomped her foot, and said to me in a very furious and argumentative tone, “I am NOT SMART!” I thought I would die laughing! She did not understand that I had paid her a compliment and thought I had, instead, insulted her. I just laughed, shrugged my shoulders, and said, “Okay!” The little girl’s mother giggled!

5. What would people be surprised to learn about your store?Susan: I had wanted for years to own a retail specialty store, and I decided to open a children’s clothing boutique seeing the need for one in our community. I opened the store when Amy (my daughter) was six-years-old. From a very young age, Amy took great pleasure in attending the market shows with me. She was always a hit with the sales representatives, particularly when she would “like” their merchandise or wear their clothing to the market shows. On the rare occasions that Amy could not attend a market show, the sales representatives would all want to know why she wasn’t with me and ask half a dozen questions about her. Amy joined my staff in 2004 as an employee and has been my right hand and rock. We really enjoy working together. It was never intended that Amy would work at my store. In 2004, while Amy was still in college, I was short of employees and Amy stepped up to fill in. She’s never left! So, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Psychology from the University of South Carolina, Amy manages Southern Children and is the web designer and webmaster for our store’s website. Amy is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to Southern Children!

6. Tell us about a “special” moment that made your day working at your store.Susan: As you can imagine, we’ve had many special moments during our 22 years of owning Southern Children. One particular event that made my day does stand out in my mind. Amy and I are always so appreciative when people commend us for our merchandise selection or our customer service. It really does mean so much to us because we know how hard we work and how much we care about our business and its reputation, our merchandise selection, and our customer satisfaction. When people take a moment to say something kind to us and express their appreciation to us, it really makes us feel good about what we are doing. One Saturday, close to Easter a few years ago, I remember Amy and I were working side by side and interacting with a customer. We were having a good time chatting with the customer and providing her with assistance with her purchase. At the conclusion of her purchase, she took a moment to acknowledge her positive experience in our store with us. She was so direct, sincere, appreciative and complimentary in her remarks. I felt like a warm ray of sunshine had beamed across us. That was a special moment that I will always remember; just a simple act of kindness in someone expressing their appreciation to us, but it meant so much to me. It is assisting customers like her that make our work fun and worthwhile.

7. Tell us your favorite children’s book.Susan: For my favorite children’s book, I think I am torn between Charlotte’s Web and The Secret Garden. Both were delightful books to me as a child in the 1960’s, and I have fond memories of the times they were read to me. Both books were read to my class by teachers when I was in elementary school. As a class, we so looked forward to our story time and couldn’t wait to know what would happen next in the books. It was so suspenseful and exciting! Both books were read to us with such interest and enthusiasm in the storyline by our school teachers. The teachers really knew how to hold our interest and attention while reading the books to us.

8. Tell us about any special events that you have planned at your store and fun deals we can expect.Susan: We are celebrating the anniversary of 22 years in business on Sunday, February 20th, as I opened Southern Children in 1989. We have a website and have recently created a Facebook page for our store. My daughter, Amy, is the web designer and webmaster for our website, http://www.southernchildren.com/. Amy writes her own code for the website, which is very time-consuming. I do not have the computer skills to work on the website. I am so fortunate to have someone who can work on the website for our store. Amy updates the website daily. I manage our store’s Facebook page and really enjoy posting on it daily. I use our Facebook page to let our customers know what has recently arrived, what will be arriving in the near future, and items that are available by special order. Amy and I work diligently to make the inventory of our store available to customers through cyberspace. We are always looking for unique merchandise to offer to our customers, and we enjoy being able to offer these findings in our store and on our website and Facebook page. We recently had a full-page devoted to our merchandise inside a tabloid section of our local newspaper, which focuses on the interests of women and fashion. We were so excited to be featured in this special section and will be again during March and April, with emphasis being placed in the tabloid on fashions for the 79th Annual Carolina Cup Steeplechase Race Day, Easter and spring. We are very much focused on growing awareness of our store and its large inventory of children’s clothing, shoes, and gift items. We always have a markdown section in our store and keep it amply supplied. There’s always something there for everyone, making it affordable in everyone’s price range.

9. Tell us your best parenting tip or mom advice that your mom passed on to you that you would like to share with a new parent.Susan: My best parenting tip for a new parent is to always remember who is the adult and who is the child, understanding that the parent is the most qualified to make the decisions concerning the child. I feel that parents who give their children too much control, and too early, are asking for problems in managing their children in the present and in the future.

Southern Children window featuring Le Top Haute Dog collection

10. What collection or piece from Le Top or Le Top Baby line or Rabbitmoon do you love from the Spring 2011?Susan: My favorite collection from the Spring 2011 collection of Le Top is “Sunny Ducky.” Every season, we look forward to seeing what LeTop’s duck collection will look like. The duck collections especially are adorable and fun! Le Top collections are always so unique and whimsical. Le Top is truly one of our very favorite lines, and we are so pleased to be able to offer it to our customers!

2 Responses

Susan, you have such a beautiful store and your posting was impeccably written, I found myself wanting to know more and more about your store!
I loved your parenting advice, as I think too many parents are trying to be “friends” with their children these days and losing sight of “who’s the boss”. I must say, I think I am already taking on your advice as I am constantly telling this child in my tummy to calm down, stop kicking and go to sleep! hahahaha!!! It’s only the beginning right?! 🙂

Wow! I love reading the great spotlight on your wonderful business. Your positive outlook spills over into your business and that is what makes it all so special. Congratulations to you Susan and Amy for having a happy place for children!